SLIDESHOW: ROCK THE VOTE

Almost 6,000 nonviolent felons have had their voting rights restored in Virginia by the state's two recent Democratic governors.

The Sentencing Project, an advocacy group for prison reform, said Gov. Mark R. Warner restored the voting rights of 3,414 Virginians during his term from 2002 to 2006. Voting rights of 2,576 have been restored in the first three years of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's term.

Virginia is one of only two states that prohibit all people convicted of a felony from voting for life, absent a gubernatorial action. Kentucky is the other.

When he took office in 2002, Warner streamlined the process of applying for a restoration of rights. He reduced the paperwork from 13 pages to one for most persons convicted of a nonviolent felony and decreased the waiting period from five to three years. The papers are filed through the secretary of the commonwealth's office.

The prior requirement of three letters of reference was also eliminated.

Kaine has continued this process.

In addition to Warner's action, the General Assembly passed a bill in 2000 requiring the Department of Corrections to notify individuals under its jurisdiction about the loss of voting rights and the process of applying for restoration.

The Sentencing Project estimated that 377,000 people in Virginia had been disenfranchised as of 2004 because they committed felonies. Bernard Henderson, deputy secretary of the commonwealth, disputed this, saying the figure is far too high. Marc Mauer, a spokesman for the project, acknowledged the number is based on estimates by two professors compiled from sentencing reports.

Henderson also noted that most of those who lost the right to vote had never registered.

Of those who lost their right to vote, 208,000 are black, about 20 percent of the black population, the report said.

Although 760,000 Americans have regained the right to vote nationally, the Sentencing Project concluded that 5 million will be ineligible to vote in the presidential election.
Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or twhitley@timesdispatch.com.